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Led by General George S. Patton first invasion of Italy
In July 1943, the U.S. Seventh Army invaded the large island of Sicily with British forces. With the Italian mainland in jeopardy, Italians had lost faith in Mussolini's leadership. An official Fascist council voted to remove him from office and he was later arrested. -
Operation Baytown was launched
British Eighth Army's XIII Corps, which was composed of British and Canadian formations led this operation. Also the landings were light and the Italian units surrendered almost immediately. -
Italy surrenders
Allied troops threatened to overrun the south and take Rome, so as a result Italy's new government was forced to surrendered. -
War is Declared on Germany
On October 13, the government declared war on Germany. The German army in Italy, continued to resist, blocking roads and destroying bridges as it retreated northward through the mountainous Italian peninsula. -
Allied advance has come to a hault
The Allied advance had stalled in the face of a stiffened German defense. The town of Cassino, the key to the German defensive line, stood between the Allies and Rome. -
Allies make bold move
They landed Allied soldiers behind German lines on the beach at Anzio, just 35 miles south of Rome. However, the American commander took too long to organize his forces. A German force blocked off the beach in time to trap the Allied troops. For the next four months, the Germans fiercely attacked the trapped soldiers. -
Allies succeed
The Allies attacked Cassino and succeeded in breaking through the German line. Joining with the forces from Anzio, the Allied army quickly captured Rome. Mussolini was also shot and killed by Italians as he tried to flee across the northern Italian border. -
Allies break through
Before the Allies broke through Germany line tens of thousands of Allied soldiers had been killed or wounded. -
D-Day
When some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Largest invasion recorded in history. -
Germsn forces surrender
It ended only when the war in Europe ended. More than 300,000 U.S. and British troops who fought in Italy had been killed or were wounded or missing. German casualties totaled around 434,000.
